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Claws for Alarm
Claws for Alarm is a 1954 Halloween-themed Merrie Melodies short starring Porky Pig and Sylvester. Synopsis Porky and Sylvester are driving to Albuquerque, New Mexico, then Porky decides to stop for the night at the hotel in Dry Gulch; actually a ghost town. Porky is oblivious to the abandonment of the ghost town. Sylvester alone is alert to the danger from murderous mice that have taken up residence in the hotel. Unlike the previous cartoon, however, the mice are unseen, except for tiny, malevolent pairs of eyes in dark corners. No matter; Porky checks in with a few small scares for Sylvester. The mice do what they can to kill or scare Porky and Sylvester. At about 4 minutes into the cartoon, a mouse resembling a miniature Wile E. Coyote (a Chuck Jones creation) can be seen with a knife, about to swing down at Porky. As always, Porky does not see the danger until Sylvester has chased the mice away, leaving him holding the bag—or, in one case, the noose the mice have dropped around Porky's neck, which the cat has just pushed Porky out of the way of. Porky demands to know why Sylvester shoved him, leading to Sylvester mimicking the moose head and the noose dropping from it. The moose head begins to follow Porky up the stairs, with a shotgun out of its mouth and tries to shoot Porky. Sylvester fights with the moose and Porky scolds him. Porky enters vacant room 13 where Sylvester is still watching for any imminent danger. Suddenly, a noose comes from the ceiling and almost strangles Porky. Sylvester grabs a razor and cuts the noose. Porky, who sees Sylvester with the noose and the razor, asks what he is doing with them. Sylvester sees a mouse (which closely resembles Wile E. Coyote) with a kitchen knife. The mouse swoops down and cuts a line of hair on Sylvester's back. Porky, humiliated and furious with the shenanigans, kicks Sylvester out. Sylvester sees a ghost but the moonlight reveals that the "ghost" is just the mice standing on each other's shoulders under a white sheet. Sylvester runs back inside, but Porky only sees another white bed sheet covering a chair. He pulls the sheet off and Sylvester mimes that he saw a ghost. Porky still does not believe him but suggests that Sylvester sleep with him. Sylvester then soldiers on all night, guarding his master with a shotgun he earlier wrestled away from the mice. Dawn finally breaks, with good riddance to those mice, ending the bleary-eyed cat's vigil as Porky awakes, but Porky wants to continue to stay. This is the last straw for Sylvester, who clubs Porky over the head with the shotgun butt while he is freshening up and singing "Home on the Range," leaving him stuck on the "and the deer and the antelope play" line like a needle skipping on a record. Sylvester, meanwhile loads the car with the luggage and Porky and speeds away from the hotel. After a last look back, Sylvester breathes a sigh of relief, not seeing the pairs of eyes blinking from the speedometer as the film closes with the words "That's All Folks!". Category:Shorts Category:Warner Bros. Category:1954 releases Category:Theatrical releases